All posts by Brenda Peck

Kathy had never purchased stock, and never lived in Texas. She was sure we had the wrong information. Even so, she worked with our Claims Recovery Specialist… just in case it could be true. She’s glad she did!

Years ago, Kathy’s employer issued stock to employees when the company went public. While it didn’t have much value at the time, Kathy’s stock is now worth over $10,000! We matched the information and filed a claim on her behalf. She now has new appliances, new bedroom furniture, and new clothes, all luxuries she couldn’t afford with her limited disability income.

It’s been difficult to watch BP’s calculated plan to cut-and-run from its obligation to citizens of the Gulf. Given recent findings of a third-party claims audit, it appears that BP might finally be forced to stop manufacturing delays and, instead, begin paying claims. The following article from Seeking Alpha provides an excellent summary of the audit results and the expected impact on BP.

Dec. 2, 2014 1:48 AM ET

Summary:

BP demanded to see the results of an audit on the claims process against its oil spill.

The audit results have been made public, and BP is left with egg on its face again.

The billions in pending business economic loss claims now have a clearer landing to become future charges.

Sometimes heirs can be VERY difficult to find. That was certainly the case with this recovery!

John was a single man with no immediate family. When John passed away, he had no idea he was owed money from the sale of a foreclosed property. Our Claims Recovery Specialists were determined to find a family member, even a distant one, rather than leave his funds unclaimed. After many days of searching, we were surprised to locate five cousins across the U.S. and Canada… but we weren’t nearly as surprised as the cousins when we told them why we were calling!

We spoke to more people than we can count, handled unique documentation requirements for the distant heirs, and even created a family tree to be sure we didn’t miss anyone in the process. Claims have been filed, and all five cousins are looking forward to the unexpected cash!

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier rejected BP’s second attempt to have Patrick Juneau removed as claims administrator of the Deepwater Horizon settlement. In his ruling, Judge Barbier noted that:

A claims administrator is not subject to the same recusal rules as a federal judge under Rule 35 and, therefore, Juneau was not required to disclose possible grounds for disqualification when he was appointed.

Even if Juneau had been subject to Rule 35, he did disclose information to BP and its lawyers about his prior work for the state of Louisiana before he was selected as claims administrator.

Even if Juneau had been subject to Rule 35, BP waited too long to file its motion. A motion to disqualify must be made as soon as a party learns of a reason, not after an adverse decision has been made by a judge.

Mr. Juneau did not make false or misleading statements to FBI Director Louis Freeh who was the special master appointed to investigate the payout system.

The arguments in BP’s motions were “mostly a regurgitation of old issues or complaints that the court or the special master has previously addressed”.

BP blatantly and intentionally disregarded the judges instructions for filing the motion.

BP continues to file appeals to discourage filings and delay payment, which means there is currently no filing deadline. The deadline will be set at six months after BP exhausts all of its court challenges. Less than 1% of all potential claimants have filed which means that plenty of business and individuals still have time to file a claim.

It makes us especially happy when we locate a client who REALLY needs the money!

Jane had spent the past year in a rehabilitation facility and was trying to get her life back on track. She desperately needed to find a job and get back to work, but had no transportation and no resources with which to purchase or finance a car. We located Jane, found money that she didn’t know she had, and funded a buyout so she could have her money within 30 days. When we checked in with her two weeks later, she was the proud owner of a new car and she was already interviewing for a new job.